Diane Lapierre, principal dancer and Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre executive director shares her story of learning flamenco with Maestro René Heredia.
For more than twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of learning flamenco from a true legend who brings his own history, knowledge and connections to the roots of flamenco to his dance and guitar students.
When I first signed up for flamenco dance classes in the mid-1990s, I had many years of dance experience in ballet, jazz and modern, but only a very basic understanding of flamenco. I soon realized that while my dance background was great for having the kinesthetic sense and balance that is useful in all dance, the rhythms, complexity and “duende” or passion and inspiration that are fundamental to flamenco were an entirely new experience.
Learning Flamenco
René lets all his new students know that studying flamenco requires more dedication and hard work than most other forms of dance. I spent the first few years un-learning my ballet posture and learning how to accent different counts and the meaning and connections between the various “palos” or forms of the many different styles.
As a student, apprentice and now lead company dancer, I have experienced a wide range of choreography and have spent many hours in the studio learning new dances set by the Maestro, René, to his original musical compositions, and hearing stories of when he accompanied some of the greats of flamenco including Carmen Amaya, as they danced to the same traditional rhythms.
At every performance, René introduces each dance with a story that brings to light the roots of the dance, his personal connections to other great flamenco legends, and draws the audience into the journey through time and space as he traces the path of flamenco from India, Arabia, Spain and the Caribbean.
Learn More
If seeing a show inspires you to learn more, René continues to teach the next generation of flamenco students guitar and dance in his studio in Washington Park.
Learn more about guitar and dance lessons at Gypsy Flamenco Lessons.
You’ll find a list of our upcoming shows at Performances.
